NFLUKMAGAZINE

DE JA BLUE

PEYTON VS ELI: THE FINAL SAY p12 WES WELKER: “I’M SORRY” p23

MAY 2012

£3.30

Brady & Co. stunned again by Giants in Indy

Dynasty in decline? Has the latest bigloss ruined theBrady legacy?

Top of the Class:Top 2012 Draftpicks reviewed

Also... The NFL remembersa legend of the game

In this month’s edition...

Living the dream: TVPersonality Vernon Kaygoes from fan to player inthe BAFL. 10

FEATURES

Season Review: Sky SportsNick Halling and Kevin Cadlelook back over an eventfulyear 8

The Manning Debate:NFLUK’s Neil Reynolds hasthe final say on who is thebetter brother 12

ALSO THIS MONTH...

“I’m Sorry!”: PatriotsWelker apologises afterdropping ‘that’ catch 15

Cream of the Crop: A lookahead to the top 2012 NFLDraft picks 18

Spotlight on...Tight End starlets Aaron Hernandez and RobGronkowski 21

Back from the Abyss:Is Randy Moss heading backto the NFL? 24

- Skills School - Fantasy Football - BAFL Report - - Superbowl in Pictures - Offseason Power Rankings - -

Playbook - Games from history - - Pro Bowl Review - Beat the Experts -

PLUS...TRY THE EXCITING NEW NFLUK APP!! - Fantasy football on the go/score updates/breaking news -

Ol’55Has Junior Seau’s suicideopened a can of worms forthe NFL and it’s formerplayers 4

THE BRAND NEWNFLUK APP

IPAD - IPHONE - ANDROID - BLACKBERRY

SELECT YOUR FANTASY TEAM ON THE GO

GET THE LATEST NFL HEADLINES DIRECT

LIVE SCORE UPDATES ON MATCHDAYSWITH NFL REDZONE

AVAILABLE VIA THE ITUNES APPSTOREOR WWW.ANDROID.COM

PASSING OF A

CHAMPIONAs the NFL World comes to terms with the death of

veteran linebacker Junior Seau, George Sawyer looks backon an incredible career, as well as the wider implications of

the loss of ol’ 55.

4 NFLUK May 2012

speed, whether it was practicing, liftingweights or harassing John Elway."The intensity, the smile, the infectious atti-tude, it carried over to all the other guys,"said Humphries, who was shocked thatSeau is now the eighth player from the '94Super Bowl team to die.Seau's mother ap-peared before reporters outside the formerplayer's house, weeping uncontrollably."I don't understand ... I'm shocked," LuisaSeau cried out. Her son gave no indicationof a problem when she spoke to him byphone earlier this week, she said."He's joking to me, he called me a 'homegirl,'" she said.Seau's death follows the suicide last year offormer Chicago Bears player Dave Duerson,who also shot himself in the chest..n Octo-ber 2010, Seau survived a 100-foot plungedown a seaside cliff in his SUV, hours afterhe was arrested for investigation of domesticviolence at the Oceanside home he sharedwith his girlfriend. The woman had told au-thorities that Seau assaulted her during anargument.There was no evidence of drugs or alcoholinvolved in the crash and Seau told authori-ties he fell asleep while driving. He sufferedminor injuries."I just can't imagine this, because I've neverseen Junior in a down frame of mind," Beat-hard said. "He was always so upbeat and hewould keep people up. He practiced the wayhe played. He made practice fun. He was acoach's dream. He was an amazing guy aswell as a player and a person. This is hardto believe."Cont.eau's ex-wife, Gina, told theUnion-Tribune San Diego that he texted herand each of their three children separatemessages: "I love you." She later confirmedto The Associated Press that Seau textedthe family.Seau, who played in the NFL for parts of 20seasons, is the eighth member of SanDiego's lone Super Bowl team who has died,all before the age of 45. Lew Bush, ShawnLee, David Griggs, Rodney Culver, DougMiller, Curtis Whitley and Chris Mims are theothers. Causes of death ranged from heartattacks to a plane crash to a lightning strike.Gina Seau said her ex-husband sustainedconcussions during his career."Of course he had. He always bounced backand kept on playing," she said in a phone in-

The same intensity that got the star line-backer ejected for fighting in his first ex-hibition game helped carry theChargers to their only Super Bowl, fol-lowing the 1994 season. A ferocioustackler, he'd leap up, pump a fist andkick out a leg after dropping a ball car-rier or quarterback.”iIt's a sad thing. It'shard to understand," said Bobby Beat-hard, who as Chargers general man-ager took Seau out of SouthernCalifornia with the fifth pick overall in the1990 draft. "He was really just a greatguy. If you drew up a player you'd loveto have the opportunity to draft andhave on the team and as a teammate,Junior and Rodney (Harrison), they'd bethe kind of guys you'd like to have."Quarterback Stan Humphries recalledthat Seau did everything at the same

Junior Seau, a homegrownsuperstar who was the fist-pumping, emotional leader

of the San Diego Chargers for 13years, was found shot to death at hishome Wednesday morning. He was43.police Chief Frank McCoy saidSeau's girlfriend reported finding himunconscious with a gunshot wound tothe chest and lifesaving efforts wereunsuccessful. A gun was found nearhim, McCoy said, and police were in-vestigating the possibility that Seau'sdeath was a suicide. Police said nosuicide note was found and they did-n't immediately know to whom thegun was registeredSeau's death inOceanside, in northern San DiegoCounty, stunned the region he repre-sented with almost reckless abandon.

out to Junior's family. It's heartbreaking."Seau called many of those around him"Buddy" and often referred to teammatesas "my players.""As a young linebacker, Junior was myhero growing up and once I had the oppor-tunity to meet him I saw that he was every-thing I hoped he would be and more,"former Dolphin Zach Thomas said in astatement. "Getting the chance to play alongside of Junior

Seau, the greatest linebackerto ever play the

g a m e ,m a d em yd r e a m sc o m etrue. I amabsolutelydevastatedto hear thisnews.

Today I lostmy hero, myfriend, mybuddy."Jason Taylor,who also playedwith Thomas andSeau on the Dol-phins, said he was

"devastated.""It would be easy forme to say he was agreat friend andteammate, and atremendous com-petitor, but thatwould be sellingJunior short," Taylorsaid in a statement."Junior Seau was anindividual of greathonor and integrity,a leader of men and

someone with a deep-rooted passion forgiving of himself to make the people, thecommunity and especially the childrenaround him better. This is an immeasura-ble loss for so many. My heart and prayersgo out to Junior's family, Gina and theirchildren. I'm going to miss youbuddy."Commissioner Roger Goodell senthis condolences to the Seau family onTwitter and NFL Players Association exec-utive director DeMaurice Smith said, "TheNFLPA player family today joins with theSeau family to mourn a brother lost toosoon."USC athletic director Pat Haden calledSeau "one of the greatest legends" inschool history."He will always be remembered by USCas the original No. 55," Haden said in astatement.Seau's greatest game may have been inthe 17-13 victory at Pittsburgh in the AFC

terview. "He's a warrior. That didn't stophim. I don't know what football player has-n't. It's not ballet. It's part of the game."Gina Seau said she didn't know if the ef-fects of concussions contributed to Seau'sdeath."We have no clues whatsoever. We're asstunned and shocked as anyoneelse. We're horribly sad-dened. We misshim andwe'll al-ways lovehim," shesaid.W h e nH u m p h r i e sjoined theChargers in a1992 trade, hesaid it was obvi-ous Seau was"the person whohad the most energy, the most excited, theguy who tried to rally everybody."Humphries said Seau "brought out a lot ofyoungness" in older players.He also helped younger players."So sad to hear about Jr Seau," tweetedNew Orleans Saints quarterback DrewBrees, who was with San Diego from2001-05. "Junebug. Buddy. The greatestteammate a young guy could ask for. Thisis a sad day. Hewill be missedgreatly."Chargers presi-dent DeanSpanos calledSeau an iconand a friend."I can't put intowords how I'mfeeling right now.I'm shocked andd e v a s t a t e d , "Spanos said in astatement. "Junior was my friend.We all lost a friend today.Junior was anicon in ourc o m m u n i t y.He tran-scended thegame. He wasn'tjust a footballplayer; he was somuch more. Hewas loved by every-one in our family, ourorganization andthroughout the NFL."This is just such atragic loss. One of theworst things I could everimagine. My prayers go

JUNIOR TO SENIOR -SEAU’S CAREER IN

PICTURES

“He wasn't just a footballplayer, he was so muchmore. My prayers go out toJunior's family. It's heart-breaking.”- Chargers president Dean Spanos

NFLUK May 20126

Seau beganhis journey asa USC Trojan.

Seau was selectedin the first round ofthe 1990 Draft bythe San DiegoChargers, whom herepresented for 14years.

During his career,Seau amassed1,849 tackles, 56.5sacks, made 18 in-terceptions andwas selected to anamazing 12 ProBowls.

Championship Game in January 1995that sent the Chargers to the Super Bowl.Playing through the pain of a pinchednerve in his neck, hespread out his 16tackles from the firstplay to the second-to-last. San Diego lost49-26 in the SuperBowl to San Fran-cisco.Humphries also re-called Seau recover-ing Elway's fumble toseal a come-from-be-hindv i c -t o r yin the1 9 9 4openerat Den-ver.Seau leftthe Charg-ers after the2002 seasonwhen theteam uncere-moniously told

him he was free to pur-sue a trade. He held a farewell news con-ference at the restaurant he owned inMission Valley, and later was traded toMiami."Junior was a fierce competitor whosepassion and work ethic lifted his team-mates to greater heights. His enthusiasmfor the game was infectious and hepassed that on to everyone who wasaround him. He loved the game so much,and no one played with more sheer joy,"Dolphins CEO Mike Dee said in a state-ment."Junior was one-of-a-kind. Theleague will never see anyone like himagain," Dee said.Seau retired a few times, the firstin August 2006, when hesaid, "I'm not retiring. Iam graduat-ing."Fourdayslater,h es ignedwith theNew Eng-land Patri-ots. He waswith the Patri-ots when theylost to the NewYork Giants in theSuper Bowl follow-

ing the 2007 season,which ended New England's quest for aperfect season."For four seasons, afterevery game he played, he would always

find me in the locker room just to give mea big hug and squeeze tighter than any-

one I remember. Itwas one of the manythings I enjoyed abouthim," Patriots chair-man and CEO RobertKraft said in a state-ment. "He was pas-sionate about footballand always spoke withgreat conviction. Hemay have been one of

the most charismatic Patriots players infranchise history. I loved listening to himwhen he addressed an audience. I willnever forget presenting him with his AFCChampionship ring at Seau's Restaurantin San Diego before our game against theChargers in 2008. It was a memorablemoment shared by both Patriots andChargers fans, who that day celebratedpregame together as Junior Seau fans.He was beloved in his hometown of SanDiego and quickly became a fan favoritein New England"Today, the fans of the teams for whichJunior played -- San Diego, Miami and

New England -- lost more than a leg-endary football player. Welost our 'Buddy.' "

Seau's last season was2009 and last fall, finally re-

tired for good, he was in-ducted into the Chargers Hall

of Fame."Twenty years, to be part of this

kind of fraternity, to be able to goout and play the game that you

love, and all the lessons and thefriends and acquaintances which

you meet along the way, you can'tbe in a better arena," Seau said in

August. More than 100 people gath-ered outside of Seau's home, only hoursafter he was found dead. Familiesshowed up with flowers and fans wearingChargers jerseys waited to get news.Major League Baseball's San DiegoPadres held a moment of silence for Seaubefore their game Wednesday against theMilwaukee Brewers. Several hours afterSeau was found, his body was loadedonto a medical examiner's van and takenaway as fans snapped pictures andraised their hands in the air as if in prayer.Family friend Priscilla Sanga said about50 friends and family members gatheredin the garage where Seau's body lay on agurney and they had the opportunity tosay goodbye."Everybody got to see Junior before theytook him away," Sanga said. "He lookedso peaceful and cold. It was disbelief. Weall touched him and kissed him."

NFLUK May 2012 7

"Junior was one-of-a-kind.The league will never seeanyone like him again."- Dolphins CEO, Mike Dee

Seau joined the Dol-phins in 2003 andwas a standout per-former in his firstseason. Howeverinjuries curtailed hisnext two seasonand he was placedon IR in 2005

Now a veteran,Seau was signedby the Patriotsand went playeda major role inthe side’s almostperfect 2007season, beforeannouncing hisretirement inJanuary 2010.

Seau was found deadin his California homewith a gunshot woundto his chest. He was43.

SIBLING RIVALRY

Bleacher Report’s JuddCohen takes a look whichis the better Manning?

NFLUK May 201212

As a result of the Giants beating thePatriots in Super Bowl XLVI, Eli Man-ning has two Super Bowl rings, leav-

ing him with one more than his olderbrother, Peyton. This shocking develop-ment has left one question burning in theminds of football fans nationwide: Is Eli bet-ter than Peyton?When judging the career of a top-classmodern quarterback (within the past 30years), there seems to be two differenttrains of thought in measuring greatness. The first school, known as the “clutchgroup,” equates the greatness of a quarter-back to the number of championships wonin their career. The leaders of this class are Joe Montana,Tom Brady, John Elway and Troy Aikman.The second group focuses more on the sta-tistics of the player, while looking past thenumber of championships won. Cont...In this class are Dan Marino, Brett Favreand Peyton Manning. Depending on yourpoint of view, you might be a supporter ofeither category. Placing your perspective on either side ofthe argument can show problems with theopposite viewpoint. Can Joe Montana re-ally be the best quarterback of all time if hedidn’t have better numbers than DanMarino? Can Marino be considered thebest quarterback of all time if he never tookhis team to a championship despite all ofhis individual records? Questions likethese will never be answered easily or de-finitively. With Eli’s second Super Bowl vic-tory in hand, he may be well on his way tofirmly planting himself on the opposite sideof the argument from his brother. This in it-self is no small feat. A couple seasons after Eli joined the NFL in2004, no one in their right mind would haveever told you that he could end up being re-membered as a better quarterback thanNo. 18 on the Colts. At the time, Peytonwas standing alongside Brady as the bestquarterback of his era and was alreadythought to be one of the best quarterbacksof all time.

Much to Eli’s credit, the fact that eight years later this is evena question is mind-boggling. Still, one can’t help but thinkthat the idea that Eli is a better quarterback is still a bit off-base. Statistically speaking, Peyton is king. Peyton’s winningpercentage is 68 percent; Eli’s is 58 percent. Peyton’s com-pletion percentage is 64.9 percent; Eli’s is 58.4 percent.

Peyton’s touchdown percentage is 5.5 percent; Eli’s is4.7 percent. Peyton’s inter-ception percentage is 2.7

percent; Eli’s is 3.3percent. Peyton’s

QB Rating is 94.9;Eli’s is 82.1. Ranging to

even the most techni-cal statistics,Peytonreigns

overEli. Thereis onestatistic, how-ever, that Peytoncan’t hold over his littlebrother, and it might just bethe most important measureof all: 2-1, their respectiveSuper bowlrecord.Eli also has two Super BowlMVPs to Peyton’s one. Theplayoffs are the one areawhere Eli has been able tooutshine his big brother. While this might come as a shock inviewing each quarterback individually, looking at the teams

that

support them makes it easier to understand why this is thecase. Although Eli has shown dominance in the postseason, thiscan be partially attributed to the phenomenal pass-rushingtalent that Eli was blessed with during his two Super Bowlruns. The fact that Eli has had better defenses, whichhas aided his success in the postseason, is somethingthat will forever cloud the argument. There will alwaysbe a what-if involved. What if Peyton had a better teamaround him? Would he then have been able to defeatNew England like the mighty Giants did?These questions will likely remain seriously debated andlargely unanswered. One solution to the issue would be theoff chance that Peyton recovers from his neck injury in timeto play next season. If he joins forces with a team of greatdefenders in need of a quarterback, such as San Franciscoor Washington, he could go on to win another title. Thiswould build on the argument that Peyton was tragically on ahighly-flawed team for most of his time in Indianapolis.

Part of the argument for the Montanas and Bradys is thatthey were better in the clutch; they always found a way towin.

But rather than give the quarterbacks all thecredit, what if the teams behind them were justbetter? A quarterback may have a lot of respon-sibility, but they are never the sole reason ateam wins or loses. The Rams may have had a better team than the

Patriots in the 2001 Super Bowl, but the Patri-ots’ staunch defense forced the game to beclose enough to where Tom Brady could marchup the field for the winning field goal. The same goes for Eli in 2008: The Patriotsmay have had a better team, but the Giants’defense held them to only two touchdowns. Eli only had to score 17 points to lead his team

to victory. In fact, in that same year, Peyton wasable to score 20 points on that same Patriots de-

fense, but the Colts, in turn, could not hold the Patriots to14 points, giving up 24 points in defeat. In a team game,it’s hard to say that one player deserves all the credit for ateam’s record when the entire team is instrumental in win-ning or losing each game. You can’t necessarily say thatEli is better in the clutch than Peyton because Peyton’s inferior teams may not have pre-sented him the same opportunities. The fact that Eli’steams held its opponents to fewer points, whereas Peytonhad to score more points to make up for his defense, is anoverlooked factor in the equation of a great quarterback. As for my money, I would take the statistically better quar-terback over performance in the clutch and make it my re-sponsibility to build a championship-caliber team aroundhim. If you structure the team around a great quarterbacklike Peyton Manning, he will have the chance to be thetotal package, providing statistics and championships.Only once Peyton and Eli’s careers have ended will we beable to decide where each player ranks historically. If Eligoes on to win a few more championships, he will firmlycement himself in the column with Montana and Brady. On

the other hand, if Peyton man-ages to steal another ring in

the next few years to equalEli’s total, there would beno argument for Eli as thebetter brother. As of now, Eli’s two ringsand his ability to beat the

Patriots are the onlythings making Peyton’s

superiority dis-putable.

"He may neveroutperform Peyton,but on the rightnight Eli can atleast keep up withhim."- Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins

Have your sayon the debateat NFLUK.com

WWW.EPSPORTS.CO.UK

The DonaldDriver Collection

Under Armour CrossfireGloves £25.99

Nike ‘Surge’ ReceiversCleats £44.99

Scan the code to win a chance totrain with Donald Driver!

Schutt WR Pads £214.99